


put your hand on my waist (do it softly)

by pollutedrain



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Cat Ears, Collars, Getting Together, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun is Whipped, Just mentions though - Freeform, Light Angst, M/M, Meet-Cute, Mentions of drugs, Semi-Public Sex, Smut, dotae are the best wingmen, gratuitous mentions of furries, if you could call it that, johnny smokes, the cat ears stay on during sex, you will see
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:06:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25774849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pollutedrain/pseuds/pollutedrain
Summary: “Please tell me you got his number.” Taeyong groans at the blank look on Jaehyun’s face. “His kakao username? His email? Do you even know his last name so we can at least stalk him on linkedin?”Jaehyun whines: he’s way too hungover for this. “I’m a disaster.”(Jaehyun meets the most beautiful man he's ever seen on a night out, and loses him within an hour, left only with his jacket to remember him by. Thus begins his quest.)
Relationships: Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 19
Kudos: 512





	put your hand on my waist (do it softly)

**Author's Note:**

> aaaaaaand i'm back with yet more nonsense for the johnjae tag. this was born from late night rambling with a mutual on twt (ily ky), and i had a lot of fun writing it (especially the later scenes), so i hope you enjoy reading it just as much!
> 
> thank you to everyone on twitter for their continuous help and hype while i was writing this, i hope you guys enjoy your catboy jaehyun ❤️ 
> 
> title: [gods & monsters - lana del rey](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORw5Sv0Ch-0&list=OLAK5uy_kEKv6Vp2ARWF_B7mXO9e5cQpFGEMBh2bE&index=22&t=0s)

It’s Friday night.

Specifically it’s a Friday night, a couple weeks before Halloween. It’s student night at the club Jaehyun has found himself wandering around, trying to dodge through the heaving crowds of people drunkenly swaying from too many cheap shots. Not that he can really judge, has had enough of them himself that he’s lost count. Speaking of lost - _he_ is lost, has been for god knows how long, hasn’t seen Sicheng or any of his friends' roommates since they’d first arrived. 

He’s slightly tipsy, mind and body fuzzy with alcohol as he ambles around aimlessly. Through it all he’s vaguely aware that someone’s been following him for a good part of the last hour. At first he’d brushed it off, unconcerned, assuming it was just someone trying to find their friends like he was. However, his lack of concern had gradually turned into anxiety, as he’d weaved in and out of the crowds on the different levels of the club, trying his best to lose the shadowy figure, but always failing. 

Whoever it is had slowly grown bolder, drawing gradually closer and closer, and now Jaehyun can just about make them out across from him at the bar. It’s a man, a little older looking than he is, and a lot more _sober_ looking than he is, which leaves worrying gnawing away at his insides.

Jaehyun pulls his phone out, trying to text Sicheng for the millionth time, only to be once again thwarted by his screen declaring he has no signal. _Great_ , he thinks to himself, he’s gonna end up butchered in the gross alley behind the club and his best friend will have no idea. Hopefully if he ends up as a ghost he can choose where he gets to eventually haunt, will happily spend the rest of time sneakily rearranging the spices in Sicheng’s kitchen to fuck with him and his roommates.

Suddenly there’s a hand on his arm, the grip gentle but firm as fingers curl around his bicep. Jaehyun startles, eyes wide as he looks up into the face of probably the hottest man he’s ever laid eyes on. 

Said man is tall, taller than Jaehyun, his brown hair swept back from his face to reveal high cheekbones and the deepest brown eyes. His mouth is almost feline in shape, especially with the way it’s curled up into an amused half smile as he looks down at the shorter man currently in his grasp. 

“There you are,” The stranger murmurs, hand slipping from Jaehyun’s arm to hook around his waist instead. “I finally found you.”

“H-Huh?” Jaehyun stammers in confusion. There’s no way he’s met this beautiful stranger before - he’d have remembered a face like that, committed it to memory until he could recall every single little detail if prompted. He’d sooner forget everything he learnt throughout his entire college degree so far, or even his own mother’s phone number. 

The taller man laughs, leaning down close to Jaehyun’s ear. “Play along.” He whispers, breath ghosting over Jaehyun’s neck, sending a shiver down his spine. 

The man looks over his shoulder, grip tightening on Jaehyun’s waist as he does so. Jaehyun frowns slightly, turning to follow his line of sight. His newfound companion is watching the man who’s been following him, who now stands frozen as he stares at the pair. Jaehyun makes a soft noise of realisation, burying himself further against the (very toned, he notes) chest of the man currently holding him, in the hopes that it’ll deter their audience from advancing any closer. It works - the man at the bar sloping off, defeatedly. Jaehyun breathes a sigh of relief. 

“Thank you.” He turns back to his apparent saviour. “He’s been following me for ages, I was starting to really freak out.”

“It’s no problem,” The man replies, before frowning thoughtfully at him. “Are you here alone? Doesn’t seem like a good idea, this place isn’t the nicest.”

Jaehyun shakes his head. “I’m with my friends but I lost them forever ago, I was trying to find them when- Well, when I found you instead.” 

“I see,” The other man finally lets go of him - Jaehyun feels a pang of sadness, but it’s immediately chased away when the other man takes his hand instead. “Want me to stick around until you find them?” 

Jaehyun feels a thrill run through him at the idea of spending more time with this gorgeous stranger. Suddenly being abandoned is the best thing that’s ever happened to him, he should tell his friends to do it more if it works out this well for him. 

“Sure.” He replies, trying to keep his cool. “What’s your name?”

“It’s Johnny.” 

“Johnny,” Jaehyun repeats, liking the way the name almost dances across his tongue. “I’m Jaehyun.”

“Nice to meet you Jaehyun,” Johnny grins down at him, squeezing his hand for emphasis. Jaehyun can already feel himself blushing, the sudden heat of his ears a tell-tale sign. “Wanna dance?”

“Of course.” He breathes, already far gone enough that the other man - Johnny - could ask him to jump off of a bridge with him and he’d barely hesitate. Thankfully, nothing of the sort happens, Johnny instead just tugging him onto the dance floor.

///

The immediate freezing cold air of the smoking area is like a balm for his overheated skin, still searing hot from the oppressive heat of the dance floor. It’s only mid-October but it’s _cold_ , so cold his roommate Taeyong has already broken out the fuzzy sweater collection that normally only makes its appearance around November time.

Johnny looks unaffected by the weather, leant back against the wall as he rifles around in his jacket pockets. Jaehyun takes the opportunity of the taller man being distracted to shuffle closer, tucking himself as much into Johnny’s side as he can. He’s rewarded with an amused smirk, the other man wrapping an arm around him so he can snuggle close.

“Would you like one?” Johnny gestures towards him with an open packet of cigarettes. 

To be honest, Jaehyun’s not much of a smoker, doesn’t like the way it makes him cough, or the way the taste lingers in his mouth even the day after. But, if he’s also being honest, Johnny could be racking up a line of cocaine for him and he’d be falling over himself to say yes. So he nods, taking a cigarette and placing it between his lips, hyper-aware of the way the other man’s eyes follow everything he does. 

He fumbles hopelessly with the lighter, the flame refusing to do nothing more than stutter and spark against his fingers. He can feel Johnny watching him struggle and his ears turn red with embarrassment, silently praying that the gods will take pity on him. 

“Here.” Their fingers brush as Johnny takes the lighter from him, flicking it on in one effortless motion. 

It’s ridiculously sexy, a word that is quickly becoming his chosen descriptor for the other man, Jaehyun muses, leaning in so his cigarette finally lights. He fights back the urge to grimace as the acrid taste fills his lungs, trying to casually let the smoke leave his mouth as if he’s not bothered by it. 

A group of girls huddled together near the door squeal suddenly as a freezing cold breeze blasts through the smoking area. It chases across Jaehyun’s skin, stealing under the thin material of his black t-shirt, ripping a violent shiver from him in response. He bites his lip, trying to get as close to Johnny’s warmth as he can, but he’s betrayed by the way his body shudders at yet another gust of wind. 

Johnny watches him, eyebrow raised, before he pulls away from Jaehyun. The younger man fights back the urge to whine, turning to pout at the other man as if that’ll convince him to come back. Instead, Johnny chuckles at him, shrugging his jacket off and holding it out in offering.

Jaehyun eyes the jacket, blinking up at him. “Are you sure? Won’t you be cold yourself?”

“Trust me,” Johnny replies, cigarette held between his teeth as he drapes the jacket over Jaehyun’s shoulders. “I’m used to much colder than this, I’ll live.”

Jaehyun frowns, still wanting to argue, but Johnny’s jacket is still warm from the heat of the taller man’s body so he’s quick to give in to wearing it. He slides his arms into the sleeves, shivering again, this time with the realisation of how big the jacket is on him, how much broader than him the other man must be underneath the brown silk of his shirt. Subtly as possible, he turns his head to sniff at the collar, breathing in the spicy scent of Johnny’s cologne until it fills his lungs, leaving him dizzy. 

Johnny watches him in amusement. “Better?” 

Jaehyun looks up at him through his lashes, smiling shyly. “Much, thank you.”

Johnny smiles back at him, still pulling Jaehyun close, this time with an arm around his shoulders. Jaehyun lets his head rest against the other man's chest, lulled into peace by his steady breathing as he finishes his cigarette (Jaehyun had abandoned his own after the fourth drag, Johnny laughing at him while he put it out). Johnny squeezes his shoulder when he’s done, tilting Jaehyun’s head up to get his attention.

“Wanna go back in?” 

Jaehyun fumbles for a moment, distracted by how close their faces are, able to count each of Johnny’s eyelashes from this distance. He nods sluggishly, feeling curiously dizzy even as he feels himself quickly sobering up. He lets Johnny tug him back inside.

Something feels different when they re-enter, Jaehyun looking around in an attempt to figure out what it could be. The dance floor and bar are busy as ever, the same music blasting through the speakers, bass thumping away in his chest. Johnny still has hold of his hand, the other man looking down at him and - oh, Jaehyun notes, Johnny is looking at him in a way that has him pinned to the spot, excitement immediately drumming in his veins. 

The taller man pulls them both to a stop, carefully pressing Jaehyun’s back to the wall. He reaches up to gently brush his fingers over Jaehyun’s cheekbone, the younger man’s eyelids fluttering shut as he leans into the touch. When he opens them again Johnny’s face is close to his own, gaze flickering between Jaehyun’s eyes and lips as if asking for permission. Jaehyun nods, answering his unasked question, holding his breath.

Johnny’s lips are soft as they press against his own, applying the barest amount of pressure in case Jaehyun wants to push him away. Jaehyun does not - instead he lets out the tiniest whine, fisting his hands in the other man’s shirt to pull him closer. Johnny obliges, deepening the kiss, his tongue sliding into Jaehyun’s mouth until the younger man feels like he could melt into his arms. They kiss for what could be hours, days even, pulling apart only when they have to, Jaehyun taking in a deep, shaky breath when he’s free. Johnny chuckles, pressing the briefest of kisses to his neck, just enough to leave a mark, before taking his hand and leading him into the crowd. 

Jaehyun clings tightly to the other man’s hand, people pressed against him even as Johnny easily parts his way through them all. He feels anxiety building in his chest once more, almost wanting to tug Johnny back out to the relative peace of the smoking area (especially if it means more cuddling). His anxiety is proven right - there’s a sudden surge of people, a large group of students crossing their path, knocking their hands apart. Jaehyun stumbles, managing to regain his balance but quickly finds himself swept away. 

By the time he’s able to fight his way free Johnny is nowhere to be seen, even as Jaehyun stands on the very tips of his toes to try and spot him towering above the crowd.

“Fuck.” He mutters to himself. 

Only he could end up on his own twice in one night - the sting is even worse this time as he remembers that he doesn’t have Johnny’s number, or last name, or anything that could help him find the other man again. He groans to himself. He resolves to wandering the rooms for as long as it takes to find him when someone bounds up to him, excited laughter letting him know that it’s Yangyang.

“There you are! We’ve been looking for _ages_ , Sicheng was so worried.”

“Sorry,” Jaehyun replies, craning his neck over the younger man to try and see if Johnny has miraculously appeared. “I got lost.”

“Who are you looking for? I know where the others are, don’t worry.”

“Someone I just met.” Jaehyun frowns. “We kissed but I didn’t get his number, and I want it badly.”

Yangyang pulls a disgusted face. “You kissed a stranger? That’s how you end up on an episode of My Favourite Murder my dude.” 

“But I-” 

The younger man grabs at his hand, tugging him along behind him despite Jaehyun’s protests. “Come on, the taxi’s waiting and we already paid for it. We’re moving on since this place is so boring - Sicheng won’t leave you behind so you have to come.”

Despairing, Jaehyun throws one last look over his shoulder, scanning the crowd for any sign of Johnny’s face, before he’s dragged outside.

///

It’s the pounding of his head that eventually rouses Jaehyun, an insistent throbbing pain right behind his eyelids dragging him from sleep. He blinks his eyes open and immediately regrets it - slamming his head into the wall next to his bed would have probably been less painful.

His mouth tastes like an ashtray, the stale taste of cigarettes mixing with what he’s sure is tequila. The combination is enough to nearly make him gag, resolving to go brush his teeth the second he has the strength. When he rubs a hand at his eyes his fingers come away black with eyeliner, meaning he’d collapsed into bed without washing his face yet again. At least he’d managed to strip off before falling into bed, can just about make out the vague shapes of his shirt and jeans abandoned on the floor. 

He must doze off again because when he next opens his eyes his room is much brighter, what must be afternoon sun by now sneaking in through the blinds. His immediate assumption is that that is what woke him and he grumbles, pulling his pillow down over his eyes to block it out. Not even ten seconds later it’s ripped away, revealing the grinning face of his roommate.

“Good afternoon!” Taeyong practically sings, tossing back the covers so he can cuddle into Jaehyun’s side. 

Jaehyun tries to wriggle away, the eyelash yarn of his roommate’s sweater tickling his bare chest, but Taeyong’s grip on him is too much for his weakened state. He sighs, giving in and flopping against the older man.

“How are you feeling?” Taeyong asks him. 

“Like shit.” He replies, voice thick and sounding foreign to his own ears. He really should drink some water or something like that, anything to try and make him a functioning human being again. 

Taeyong coos at him, stroking his hair. Jaehyun lets out a soft sigh, the action so soothing he could melt back into his mattress, even with Taeyong’s incessant humming of some video game theme tune. He almost slips back into sleep when he’s disturbed by Taeyong piping up once more. 

“You look like you had fun, anyway.” There’s fingers on his skin, Taeyong scrubbing at a spot on Jaehyun’s neck, chuckling at whatever has his attention. Whatever it is, it being touched sends pain radiating through Jaehyun’s body - he nudges his hand away in response.

“Unless you have breakfast could you please leave,” He grumbles. “I want to die in peace.”

“It’s 3pm, you should be having lunch.” 

“Any meal is breakfast, it doesn’t matter when you eat it. I could eat at 8pm and it’d be my breakfast.” 

He doesn’t need to open his eyes to know Taeyong is rolling his own at him, the little annoyed huff his roommate lets out telling him all he needs to know. There’s another brief moment of silence, Taeyong returning to stroking his fingers through Jaehyun’s hair, scratching his scalp in the way he knows Jaehyun likes. 

“Jae?” He speaks up after some time, the confused tone of his voice immediately grabbing Jaehyun’s attention. When he opens one eye to squint at his best friend he can see the way the other man’s eyebrows are knotted together.

“What?” He asks. 

“Where’d you get that?” Taeyong points to the other side of his room, somewhere, Jaehyun thinks, in the direction of his desk. 

Jaehyun groans, forcing himself to sit up properly so he can look. He’s right, Taeyong is gesturing towards his desk - namely, towards a jacket that looks far too expensive to be draped over the cheap wood of Jaehyun’s battered ikea chair. He blinks at it, trying to process its presence in his room, far too out place next to his own collection of thrifted pieces (mostly courtesy of his roommate). 

Taeyong scrambles off of his bed, crossing his room in record time to grab the jacket from the back of the chair. He immediately goes for the label, eyes growing comically wide as he reads the information on the little piece of fabric.

“Jae,” He repeats, voice a little croakier than usual. “What exactly did you do last night?”

Jaehyun pauses to think, brain stuttering as he tries to comb over the alcohol-blurred memories of the night before.

He’d stopped off at home after his last lecture, quickly changed and dropped off his books before heading over to Sicheng’s for pre-drinks. They’d caught a taxi to the club, Sicheng’s new roommate Yangyang had insisted on buying them all shots of something Jaehyun hadn’t recognised and that had burnt as it made its way down his throat. They’d gotten separated, Jaehyun lost in the crowd with nothing but the music for company when he’d met- _oh_.

“ _Shit_.” He gasps, falling over the tangle of his legs in his blankets as he rushes to join Taeyong, snatching the jacket from him. 

The leather is buttery-soft in his hands, the cinnamon-spice scent of Johnny’s cologne washing over him when he brings it up closer to his face. He runs his fingers through the fur trim of the neck, the texture immediately bringing back memories of him snuggled into it to escape the cold. It’s unmistakable - this is definitely the same jacket the other man leant him the night before. Shit. 

His desk creaks in complaint as Taeyong leans against it, looking at Jaehyun expectantly. “Well?”

“I-” He pauses, swallows, trying to get his racing thoughts together. “I went out with Sicheng, and met this guy-”

“Oh,” Taeyong cuts him off, an amused smirk on his face. “So _that’s_ what happened to your neck, I was wondering how that had come about when you were apparently just out with Sicheng.”

Jaehyun pauses, following the other man’s gaze to the part of his neck that he was bothering at earlier. He turns to his mirror with a frown, only to be met with the sight of a mess of purple and red marks blossoming over his pale skin. His mind is immediately filled with the memory of Johnny’s lips on his neck and he blushes, turning back to Taeyong with a betrayed look on his face. 

Taeyong holds his hands up in apology, trying (and failing miserably) to stop himself laughing. “Anyways, carry on.”

“Right.” Jaehyun replies, quickly filling him in on the rest of the details of the night before. When he finishes, Taeyong lets out a low whistle. 

“Why is it whenever you go out without me, you get up to some mischief?” He doesn’t wait for Jaehyun to answer before he’s pulling his phone out, the noise of his keyboard rapid as he looks something up. 

“I don’t _mean_ to,” Jaehyun whines. “It just always seems to- what’s wrong?”

He’s cut off by the way his roommate’s fingers stutter suddenly, eyes widening for the second time that afternoon as he looks up. 

“ _Jae _,” He whispers, as if he’ll somehow disturb the equilibrium of the universe if he’s too loud. He motions to the jacket, still clutched in Jaehyun’s hands like it’ll disappear if he lets go. “It costs like a billion won.”__

__If Jaehyun didn’t feel sick before he definitely does now, his body suddenly feeling too heavy for his legs to hold up anymore. He lets himself slump back down to sit on the edge of his bed, head in his hands. Taeyong simply stares at him._ _

__“Please tell me you got his number.” He groans at the blank look on Jaehyun’s face. “His kakao username? His email? Do you even know his last name so we can at least stalk him on linkedin?”_ _

__Jaehyun whines: he’s way too hungover for this. “I’m a disaster.”_ _

__Taeyong doesn’t say anything in return but he doesn’t need to - the judgmental look on his face speaks volumes. He grabs the jacket again, emptying the contents of the pockets as if he’ll find the solution to their problems there._ _

__He doesn’t. All they find in the pockets are the half-empty packet of cigarettes from the night before, and a couple of crumpled receipts from a coffee shop Jaehyun’s sure he’s walked past on his way to classes. Taeyong smooths one out hopefully._ _

__“Maybe it has his name on?” He reasons. Naturally, it doesn’t - none of them do when Taeyong meticulously checks them all, giving away nothing but that Johnny is apparently a huge fan of iced americanos._ _

__“Well,” Taeyong sighs defeatedly, hanging the jacket up reverently on an empty hook on Jaehyun’s wall. “At least you didn’t steal his keys or anything, just his nice, expensive jacket.”_ _

__Jaehyun wails, rolling over until he’s face down on his mattress. Hopefully if he tries hard enough it’ll suffocate him, anything so he doesn’t have to deal with this mess. Taeyong sits next to him, gently patting at his thigh._ _

__“Don’t worry,” He soothes. “It can’t be that hard to find this guy, I bet if you go back to the club one night he’ll be there. If you don’t recognise him you could just make every tall, hot brunet try the jacket on until you find whoever fits it.”_ _

__“I- Taeyong this isn’t Cinderella,” Jaehyun lifts his head up to frown at his roommate. “Besides, I remember exactly what he looks like, how could I even forget?”_ _

__“Even better! Come on, I’ll order something for dinner - sorry, breakfast - and we can stalk him online. We’ll find him in no time, I’m a master at this sort of thing.”_ _

__Jaehyun sighs, sitting up slowly as his roommate bustles back out of Jaehyun’s room._ _

__He glances up at where Johnny’s jacket hangs on his wall, reaching out to gently thumb over the stitching of the cuff. Taeyong is right, it can’t be that hard to find someone, especially with social media. He rolls his shoulder, heaving himself off of his bed and following the promise of food into their kitchen._ _

____

///

Jaehyun returns to the club a couple of days later, Sicheng in tow. He’d texted his best friend the night before, filling him in on what had happened before begging him for his help.

 **[10:12 PM] me** : why aren’t you replying, are you judging me

 **[10:14 PM] sicheng** 🐥: i am judging you  
**[10:15 PM] sicheng** 🐥: you were gone for TWO HOURS how did you do this you menace

 **[10:16 PM] me** : idk but now i need to undo it (╥_╥) sicheng you’re my best friend if you loved me you’d help me i’m struggling here

He and Taeyong had tried their best, had spent the majority of the weekend combing through social media in the hopes of finding something that would help him get in contact with Johnny. They’d ultimately failed, the most promising thing they’d stumbled across being a twitter account that hadn’t been updated in over a year. And even then Jaehyun was dubious, mostly due to the fact that the location of the account placed its user in Chicago, not Seoul as he’d hoped. 

Now it seemed like his best friend was his only hope. 

**[10:17 PM]** me: sicheng  
**[10:20 PM]** me: SICHENG  
**[10:25 PM]** me: i’ll buy you dinner

 **[10:30 PM] sicheng** 🐥: relax, i was asking yangyang for the address  
**[10:30 PM] sicheng** 🐥: meet me after your class tomorrow, we’ll go back to the club  
**[10:32 PM] sicheng** 🐥: you can buy me dinner after

 **[10:33 PM] me** : bully

 **[10:52 PM] sicheng** 🐥: ♡( ◡‿◡ )

Sicheng leads the way into the building, unfamiliar to Jaehyun in the daylight (and without the fog of alcohol clouding his vision). It seems to be a cafe during the day, Sicheng clearly having been here before as he orders a soda for himself and coffee for Jaehyun (“you look like you need it” he tells his best friend). In the meantime, Jaehyun gazes around the room, as if Johnny will magically appear and step out of the brickwork.

To his surprise he finds one of his friends from his philosophy classes, Naeun, working behind the bar. She smiles brightly when she spots them. 

“Hey Jaehyun!” 

“Hi Naeun,” He smiles back, relief flooding through him. This could be good, could be an actual lead that takes him to victory and back into Johnny’s arms, where he belongs. “Random question, but were you working Friday night?”

“Friday night?” Naeun repeats, pausing to hand Sicheng’s soda to him. “Yeah I was working, why?”

“He’s looking for something he lost that night.” Sicheng informs her. “Do you have security cameras or anything around here?”

Naeun shakes her head at him. “We only film the bars because of the tills, there’s no point filming any of the entrances since we have doormen.”

“Could you check anyway?” Jaehyun asks, desperating blooming quickly inside of him, weighing heavy in his stomach. Surely Johnny had been at one of the bars at some point in the night, though, try as he may, Jaehyun couldn’t recollect ever seeing the other man with a drink in his hand. 

Naeun shakes her head again, this time her expression one of pity. “Sorry Jaehyun, I’m not allowed to show it to anyone who doesn’t work here, I’m not even sure that I’d be allowed to look since I just work at the bar.”

Jaehyun sighs, shoulders slumping in disappointment. His friend clicks her tongue, leaning over to pat him on the arm. 

“What did you lose, anyway? I could check in the back if that would help?”

“I don’t think that’d work,” Jaehyun chuckles, briefly entertained at the image of Johnny’s long body squeezed into a lost and found box. “It’s a person, not an object.” 

Naeun makes a little _ahh_ noise, nodding sagely. “I see. Those are a little harder to find.”

“Tell me about it. I feel like it’d be better to just give up at this point.” 

“I’m sure he’ll show up when you least expect it, people have a way of doing that.” His friend retorts. “Just give it time.”

“Time doesn’t seem to be my friend.” Jaehyun groans, downing his coffee in one go.

///

Jaehyun flops back into his subway seat in defeat, trying his best to not feel down about his latest failed venture. Sicheng watches him in silence, resting a hand on his arm in comfort.

“What now?” He asks quietly. 

“I don’t know.” Jaehyun sighs, running his hands through his hair. “I can’t keep the jacket, I’d be super pissed if it was me who’d lost it, but I have zero idea how I’m gonna find him again.” 

“Is it just that that’s bothering you? The jacket, I mean.”

Jaehyun shakes his head immediately. “I’d like to make sure he has it back, but I’d also like to make sure I have _him_ back.” 

“You’ll figure it out, I’m sure. It’s you after all, you always fall on your feet.” Sicheng pauses, thinking. “Like some sort of weird cat.”

Jaehyun manages to laugh, immediately feeling a little better as he leans his head on his best friend’s shoulder. “You always know what to say, Sicheng. What would I do without you?”

“Suffer even more, you mess of a human.”

Jaehyun can’t even find it in himself to be offended - it’s the truth after all.

///

“I can’t believe we’re doing this.”

“That’s the third time you’ve said that.” Taeyong replies nonchalantly, eyes glued to his laptop screen as he types away rapidly.

Jaehyun squints at him over his coffee. “That’s because I _can’t believe_ that we’re doing _this_.”

He’d been in the middle of a philosophy lecture when his roommate had texted him, asking if he’d wanted to meet for lunch at a coffee shop near to campus. The name had sounded familiar, something he wouldn’t quite place in his memory no matter how much he’d tried. Turns out it was the same shop from the receipts they’d found crumpled in Johnny’s jacket pocket - he had to hand it to Taeyong, it certainly was innovative, even if it felt a little criminal. 

Taeyong sighs, adjusting his glasses as he looks up from his educational politics paper. “Doing what, exactly? As far as I’m concerned, we’re just having lunch and coffee, nothing more.”

“I’m pretty sure this counts as stalking.”

Taeyong waves a hand dismissively, taking a bite of his sandwich. “Really, it’s nothing. We’re literally eating, I’m writing my paper and you’re doing… Whatever it is you do for a philosophy degree! And if he happens to walk in and see you, even better.”

One time their group of friends, far too drunk off of far too much soju, had compiled a quiz where they’d tried to fit each other into a set of categories they’d drawn up together. Jaehyun had been unanimously voted most likely to get arrested, Yuta’s loud cackling letting him know that Jaehyun’s new title was all his idea. Meanwhile Taeyong had been awarded most likely to establish world peace, a cheap flower crown placed upon his head to signify his new status.

Jaehyun had agreed back then but now sees that they were all wrong, resolves to transfer his own shoddily made trophy into Taeyong’s room when they get home. 

Turns out Jaehyun has nothing to worry about, the most exciting thing to happen being one of his ex grindr hookups waltzing in to get coffee. Mingyu had beamed at him, excitedly waving but thankfully not actually attempting conversation with him. Thank god, Jaehyun had thought, cringing when he remembered the disaster of their first and only date. He and Taeyong eventually leave, giving in when the barista starts cleaning down the cafe for the evening. 

“Well,” Taeyong begins as they start their walk back to the apartment. “It was worth a try anyway?”

“I guess.” Jaehyun replies, pulling his scarf tighter around his neck to protect it from the chill of the evening breeze. He looks at Taeyong sympathetically. “Sorry. I know you tried.”

“It’s okay, we can always come back anyway. Their coffee was nice - maybe we need to go back around the times that he seems to have gone in the past.” 

Jaehyun nods, looking up at the faint glow of the stars in the sky. “Maybe we could also go back to the club on Friday? I know we both have deadlines, but we could stay just for an hour.”

Taeyong stops, looking at him in distaste. “You know I hate clubbing, I’d rather watch one of my boyfriend’s surgeries on repeat for twelve hours than go to a club.”

Jaehyun rolls his eyes. “What happened to our mission? Do you want me to be lonely, cursed by my burdens forever?”

“Your burdens are an expensive jacket and a hot guy you can’t track down, you drama queen. It’s hardly like you’re a furry, or something like that.”

“Is being a furry that bad?” Jaehyun asks, tilting his head to one side. “Do you think Johnny would find being a furry a deal breaker? Would you break up with Doyoung if he told you he was one?”

“Doyoung could tell me he’s a serial killer and keeps heads as trophies under his bed and I’d just ask him to febreeze in there a little more often, you’re asking the wrong guy.” 

“Whipped.”

“Like we’re not currently on a full scale manhunt because you made out with a hot stranger in a club.” Taeyong retorts, sticking his tongue out. He pauses. “Hey, maybe the club has a photographer? We should check their facebook page.” 

Jaehyun frowns, ticking over the idea in his brain. Johnny didn’t seem the type but then again, Jaehyun doesn’t know much about him, apart from the fact that he smokes, and is a really good kisser. 

Maybe Taeyong could be onto something, he thinks, as he follows his friend’s resolute footsteps into their apartment building.

///

Taeyong sighs for what must be the millionth time that week, eyes closed as he relaxes back against the comfortable chair he’s curled up in. He’s exhausted all the way down to his bones, school hellishly difficult at the moment, and that’s on top of the whole Jaehyun situation, which feels more and more draining by the day.

His roommate appeared to have mostly given up on finding out whoever Johnny was, despite the fact that Taeyong knew it was still plaguing him. He’d responded to Taeyong’s latest suggestion that they ask for anyone with that name at the student centre with outright dismissiveness, quickly disappearing into his room to avoid the rest of the conversation. 

Taeyong knows his friend well enough to know that it’s still bothering him - doesn’t even need to watch the way he looks hopelessly at the jacket, now hung safely in their living room, to see it. He sighs again, feeling helpless that he can’t just click his fingers and easily solve this all for his friend. 

He’s pulled out of his thoughts by the gentle voice of the man currently sitting opposite him.

“What’s wrong?” Doyoung asks him quietly. “Did I get the wrong kind of cake?”

Taeyong smiles, squeezes his boyfriend’s hand where it lies on the table of the cafe they’re currently on a date at. The other man squeezes back, tightly lacing their fingers together. 

“No, it’s fine, thank you for ordering it for me. You know me so well.” His last class had run over and the subway had been late, as it always is at Wednesday lunchtimes, but thankfully Doyoung had anticipated this and had ordered ahead for him. 

“Of course.” Doyoung smiles at him now, though something on his face tells Taeyong he’s not quite satisfied with his answer. He’s right: his boyfriend continues after a brief pause. “It’s just not like you to be so quiet - is it me? I get it if it is, you can only hear so many stories about how gruesome an appendectomy actually is.” 

Taeyong laughs softly. Truth be told, he could have easily lived his entire life without knowing the step by step process of how exactly to perform any number of surgeries, but Doyoung could read the entirety of one of his thick medical textbooks to him in one sitting and he’d be ever as enthralled. Not that he’d ever tell his boyfriend that, he’d never live it down. 

“No, it’s not you.” He concedes with a sigh. “It’s Jaehyun.”

Doyoung tilts his head questioningly, taking a drink of his hot chocolate. Taeyong watches with a fond smile, the motion reminding him rather of the rabbit owned by the family down the hallway from his and Jaehyun’s apartment. 

“Your roommate?” His boyfriend asks. 

“Yeah. He’s been moping around for nearly two weeks now and it’s just really getting to me, I’ve tried my best to help but neither of us can figure out what to do about it.”

His boyfriend frowns, making a sympathetic noise. “Did something happen? I’ve only met him a few times, but Jaehyun doesn’t seem the type to be down so easily.”

Taeyong sighs, tipping his head back until he’s looking at the ceiling. He can feel his headache from that morning slowly returning. 

“He met this guy on a night out like two weeks ago and they apparently really hit it off, but now he can’t find him. We’ve been searching for what feels like forever but literally nothing is turning up, it’s like he doesn’t even exist.”

“That’s strange. Have you tried looking online?”

“Yeah, we even put something up on one of those college facebook confession pages and got nothing back.” He frowns, sitting back up and stabbing at the strawberry left on his plate, as if it’s the reason for all his frustration. “It’s not even like he has a common name here, it shouldn’t be so hard and yet here we are.” 

“I’m sure you’ll figure it out eventually, people don’t just disappear without a trace like that.” Doyoung squeezes his hand tightly, as if trying to reassure him. “If it’s any consolation something’s going on with my roommate too, and I can’t get a straight answer out of him about it.”

That catches Taeyong’s interest. 

Doyoung’s roommate has always been somewhat of an enigma to him - in the past few months that he and his boyfriend had been dating he’s yet to meet said roommate once. Doyoung had met Jaehyun literally the second time he’d stayed over at his and Taeyong’s place, and yet Taeyong has stayed with his boyfriend multiple times, and the most he’s seen of his roommate is a used coffee mug left by the kitchen sink. 

“Oh?” He asks, hoping his boyfriend will elaborate.

Doyoung frowns. “He went out the other week with some friends from work and he’s been… I don’t know how to describe it, like a little lost ever since? It’s strange, I’ve never seen him like this, he’s normally too easy going to get hung up on something for longer than a day.”

Taeyong isn’t sure what exactly it is about the other man’s words that grab his attention, but something brings him to a pause. 

“Wait,” He asks, trying to decide exactly on what exactly it is that’s nagging at his brain, begging him to ask for clarification. “What was your roommate's name again?”

Doyoung rolls his eyes in response. “All the times I’ve talked about him and you still don’t remember? Do you ever even listen to me?”

Taeyong flushes immediately, biting back the urge to snap at the other man. “How am I supposed to remember someone’s name if I’ve never met them? You always chase him out before I come over.”

Doyoung raises an eyebrow at him. “I’m sorry, do you want him there when we’re having sex? Because I can arrange that if that’s how you truly want to meet him for the first time, maybe we could even set it up so he walks in on us on the sofa like that time Jaehyun did.”

Taeyong huffs at his tone, flopping back against his chair to glower at him. He loosens his grip on Doyoung’s hand, not quite enough to let go of it completely, but enough that it should get the message across. It works - after a few long moments of them staring at each other his boyfriend sighs in defeat. 

“His name is Johnny.” He finally replies. “Don’t worry, I won’t mortally offend him by letting him know you can never remember his name.”

“Johnny.” Taeyong repeats. The name is familiar: he can almost feel his brain cells working to try and figure out where he’s heard it before. It takes him an embarrassingly long few seconds before he’s gasping in realisation. “Doie- I- Is he big? Like, tall and broad?” 

“Um, yes? He’s taller than me anyway.” 

Taeyong leans in, excitement building in his veins. “Does he smoke? Does he drink a lot of coffee, specifically iced americanos from that place near the biology building?”

Doyoung’s expression is quickly becoming one of confusion, a frown twisted across his face as he looks at his boyfriend like he’s suddenly sprouted a second head. “Do you have something to tell me? When did you develop an obsession with my roommate - have you been stalking him?”

Taeyong lets out a noise of glee, fumbling around in his pocket for his phone so he can quickly bring up his text conversation with Jaehyun. He swipes through a series of selfies and a couple of pictures of their next door neighbour’s new puppy before he finds what he’s looking for, thrusting the phone into his boyfriend’s face. 

“Please- I know this is weird, but please look at this.”

Doyoung’s eyebrows knit together as he focuses on the picture displayed on the screen in front of him. “Is- That’s your living room, right? Why do you have my roommate’s jacket hanging in your living room?”

Taeyong laughs, dropping everything to lean across the table and grab his boyfriend’s face so he can kiss him repeatedly. Doyoung lets out a shriek of surprise, grabbing his wrists and laughing as he tries to fend off the other man’s affection. 

“What’s all this about? What did I say?” He laughs, conceding and letting Taeyong press a particularly loud kiss to his cheek. 

“You’re the best, you know that?” Taeyong replies. “Even when you don’t mean to, you manage to fix everything.”

Doyoung’s cheeks flush a wonderful shade of pink - Taeyong doesn’t think he’s ever seen his boyfriend looking this bashful, makes sure to commit the sight to memory. He smiles dopily back at him.

“T-Thank you? But please, what did I do?” 

Taeyong picks his phone up again, bringing the picture of the jacket back up. “Jaehyun came back from the club with this after everything that went on. We looked it up and found out it was pretty expensive, it’s part of the reason Jaehyun’s been so eager to track Johnny down, he wants to give it back.”

Doyoung breathes out, eyes flickering from the screen to Taeyong’s face. “Johnny did say he’d lost his jacket when he went out. I was wondering if that’s what was bothering him since he’s always wearing that thing, but he didn’t seem that worried about the jacket itself.” 

Taeyong bites back a smile. “Do… Do you think...”

“That it’s the whole Jaehyun thing that’s actually bothering him?” Doyoung finishes for him, eyes glittering. “I think so.” 

Taeyong vaguely feels like he’s won the lottery. He switches back to his and Jaehyun’s chat window, intending to text him with his new information. He’s stopped, though, by Doyoung gently grabbing at his wrist. 

“What?” He asks, confused. 

“What are you doing?”

Taeyong frowns. “Uh, telling Jaehyun what I’ve found out? Isn’t that the obvious thing to do?”

“Mmm, it is.” Doyoung hums in agreement. “But…”

“But?”

“But... Where’s the fun in all that?” 

Taeyong considers this for a few moments. His eyes meet the mischievous gaze of his boyfriend, and he slowly returns his phone to the table. “I’m listening.”

Doyoung beams back at him in reply.

///

It’s dark in the apartment, the screen of Jaehyun’s laptop blurry as he stares at it with unfocused eyes.

There’s a movie playing on netflix, something he’d randomly picked just to drown out both the silence of the empty apartment, and also the noise of his thoughts. If he’s being honest, it’s not really working. Jaehyun sighs loudly, rolling onto his back to stare at the ceiling, the laugh track blaring from his laptop speakers almost mocking to his ears. He knows he’s being ridiculous with the amount of moping he’s been doing but he can’t seem to help it, can’t shake the fog that’s settled over him. Sicheng had recently suggested he just try moving on, that it’s not healthy to be this hung up on a man he’d barely known for more than twenty minutes. 

Sure, he’d spent a grand total of maybe an hour with Johnny that night that already feels so long ago. But Jaehyun had felt a _connection_ , and to him, that’s what truly mattered, even if the majority of that connection had come from them making out in a crowded club. Jaehyun rubs a hand over his eyes. Even if he could just get the man’s obscenely expensive jacket back to him he could rest easy (he tells himself repeatedly, knowing that it’s not exactly the truth). 

He’s not sure exactly how long he spends lying there, eyes roaming over the faint cracks in their ceiling. Long enough at least that his back starts aching from the hard spots of their worn sofa. He groans lightly, forcing himself to sit back up despite the protesting coming from his muscles. As if on cue there’s the familiar sound of the front door opening, Taeyong’s collection of keyrings jangling against each other as his roommate pushes the door open. Jaehyun stretches, waving at him with one outstretched arm before flopping back into a more comfortable sitting position. 

“Hey.”

“Hey.” His roommate replies, ditching his worn backpack on the floor and toeing off his shoes so he can shuffle into the apartment proper. There’s a soft rustle as he places a paper bag on their coffee table. “I brought take out.” 

Jaehyun sighs happily, moving his laptop to make space. “You’re the best.” 

Taeyong smiles at him as he gathers stuff for them to eat with, a bottle of soda from the fridge tucked under his arm. “I know.”

They eat in silence for a while, watching Naruto reruns at Taeyong’s insistence. Something about a bet with his boyfriend - Jaehyun hadn’t really been paying attention and still isn’t now, letting the sounds of fighting and yelling fade into the background as he eats. 

“When’s your next deadline?” Taeyong asks suddenly, pulling Jaehyun out of his daydream. “Around Halloween, that is.”

“Uh…” Jaehyun pauses the episode they’re on to bring up the hastily typed schedule he keeps pinned to his desktop, quickly scanning it. “I have an outline due two days before the 31st, but apart from that there’s nothing for a couple weeks. Why?”

“Excellent.” Taeyong beams, bouncing slightly in excitement. “I want to go out for Halloween and, as my roommate, you’re contractually obliged to go along with anything I plan.” 

“You? Planning something social? Are you okay?” Jaehyun laughs, leaning over to feel at his friend’s forehead. Taeyong snorts, wriggling away from him the best he can in the cramped space. 

“I’m serious! Me and Doyoung think it’ll be fun.”

“ _Doyoung_? Now I know there’s something going on, Doyoung never wants to leave his apartment even to come here.” Jaehyun had met his roommate’s boyfriend a handful of times, and the other man seems nice enough, if not consistently a little stressed. Still, he really doesn’t seem the type to throw a Halloween party. 

Taeyong laughs loudly at that. “He’s antisocial and balls deep in med school, I’d never leave home either.” 

Jaehyun shoots him a look. “Like you actually leave home unless it’s for class, or just to see him?” He dodges the playful slap Taeyong aims at his arm. 

He pulls away from his roommate, stuffing another few bites of rice into his mouth. Taeyong watches, expression pleading as he looks at him. Jaehyun sighs, putting his chopsticks down. 

“I’m not really in the mood Taeyong, a party is the last thing I feel up to right now.”

Taeyong shuffles closer until their knees bump against each other’s. He leans in, trying his best to get the younger man to look at him. Jaehyun determinedly avoids eye contact, knows his roommate’s puppy dog eyes will ultimately result in his downfall. 

“You need something fun to get you out of this funk you’re in, and what better than a chance to dress up and get wasted? You know how much you love that.”

Jaehyun sighs again. His roommate is right, he really does love that, has already been planning a costume in his head as they’ve talked, if he’s being totally honest. His shoulders slump down in defeat as he lifts his head to meet his friend’s eyes. 

“You really want a party?”

Taeyong nods rapidly, pouting in the way he knows can get anyone to do anything for him. It works - a grin quickly spreading over his face as Jaehyun sighs for a third time, this time theatrically.

“You’re the best roommate ever.” He beams, leaning in to pinch Jaehyun’s cheek affectionately.

“You’re paying for my drinks all night.” Jaehyun mutters petulantly.

Taeyong ruffles his hair, leaning in to plant a kiss on his nose. “I wouldn’t do anything less.”

///

Doyoung comes to visit them three days before Halloween, already rifling through their cupboards with a frown by the time Jaehyun emerges from his bedroom. The kitchen smells heavenly, the scent of sugar having pulled Jaehyun out of bed faster than any alarm could ever hope to. When he peeks at the frying pan bubbling away on their hob he sees that the older man is making pancakes.

Doyoung notices him at that moment, turning to him with a slight pout. “Do you guys not have any fruit? Like at all?” At Jaehyun’s blank expression, he sighs. “How have neither of you died of scurvy yet?” 

Jaehyun hums, thinking hard. “I think I have some frozen stuff somewhere, I’ll check.” 

A quick rummage in the freezer lets him know that he’s right, an old smoothie pack shoved behind a multitude of leftovers from Taeyong’s last visit home. He hands the packet to the older man, pulling himself up to sit at the counter and watch him work.

“Not that I’m complaining,” He begins, swinging his legs. “But is there any reason you’re here, and making us breakfast?”

Doyoung snorts, handing him a plate. “Taeyong invited me over to discuss Halloween. We’ve already decided to have it at my place, but as the apparent token extrovert of the three of us it sounds like you need to be in charge of the actual social side of it.”

“There’s not really much to it,” Jaehyun shrugs. “I could just text some of my friends, I know my coursemates are always down for a wild night out.”

Doyoung wrinkles his nose, clearly not enthused by his use of the word ‘wild’. He slides a couple of finished pancakes onto Jaehyun’s plate, passing over a syrup bottle that’s been in their kitchen for so long the sell by date is long worn off. Jaehyun doesn’t really care, drowns his food in it happily. 

“Do you go out every Halloween?” Doyoung asks, as if the very idea is foreign to him. Jaehyun supposes it is - wonders how often Doyoung gets out now he’s this far into med school. 

“Yeah, I go out every year. It’s one of my favourite nights for it, I like dressing up.”

“And what do you normally dress up as?”

“A cat.”

“A cat?” Doyoung frowns. “Like a scary cat? Are cats even that scary?”

“A _sexy_ cat.” Jaehyun clarifies, as if it were obvious - it is to him, at least. Doyoung opens his mouth as if to argue, then appears to change his mind, instead settling for just a knowing nod.

“Fair enough. What exactly does a sexy cat entail?”

“Well, ears and a tail obviously.” He pauses, mentally ticking over what his costumes from past Halloweens looked like. “Maybe some hot pants and a collar if I can find them, I don’t know.” Maybe he should pull up his instagram to show the other man some pictures, Doyoung seems the type to be a visual learner.

Taeyong chooses that moment to emerge from his bedroom, having been in the shower the entire time if his wet hair is anything to go by. He stops to kiss Doyoung on the cheek, the man smiling sweetly in a way that Jaehyun has only ever seen him do around his boyfriend, before he turns to his roommate.

“Are you seriously going as a cat again? This is like the third year, put some effort in.”

“Why fix what’s not broken? You’re just mad my ass looks great in those hot pants.” Jaehyun argues. 

“What ass? You’re flatter than I am.” Taeyong retorts, dodging the mushed up blueberry Jaehyun throws at him in retaliation. 

Doyoung looks vaguely like he regrets even coming over, immediately trying to change the subject lest he’s next in line to be attacked with fruit. 

“Would your friends be happy to spend Halloween with us? I’d ask some of mine from school but they’re not really the partying type, especially not at this age.” He says, as if he’s in his mid-forties, not his early twenties. Jaehyun smiles.

“Don’t worry, I can find someone to hang out with us. Besides, even if it’s just the three of us it’ll be fun, you can watch how quickly Taeyong gets drunk off of one beer.”

His roommate shoots him a betrayed look, doubling down on it when Doyoung laughs at Jaehyun’s words. “At least you’re excited about it now. You should have seen him when I first told him about it, Doyoung, you’d think I’d have asked him to clean the bathroom with his toothbrush.”

“Yes,” Doyoung turns to smile softly at Jaehyun. “Tae said you’d been feeling a bit down lately, are you feeling better?”

There’s something about Doyoung and the gentleness with which he speaks that makes Jaehyun almost want to spill all his secrets to him, tell the other man everything that’s worried him in the past twenty-one years of his life, even down to the time he lost his homework book when he was five years old. Which is ridiculous, considering what he’s actually moping for. Doyoung seems like he’s no nonsense - would probably call him an idiot, at least would think as much of him.

He settles for just a shrug. “I’m alright, I’ll get over it soon anyway.”

The couple exchange a knowing look, Taeyong raising one eyebrow as Doyoung’s eyes sparkle with something unplaceable. “I’m sure you will.” They say in unison.

Jaehyun squints at them, suspicion quickly rising. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing,” Doyoung soothes. “Eat your breakfast.”

Jaehyun eyes them distrustfully: his roommate is usually terrible at keeping secrets, but this time it looks like he’s not going to budge. Whatever they’re up to, he’s sure he won’t like it.

///

It turns out that a text to Sicheng (and, by extension, his roommates) is all Jaehyun needs for a pretty decent party turn out.

Doyoung had looked slightly alarmed when said roommates had descended on his apartment, grimacing at the volume of Yangyang as he’d immediately begun provoking Xiaojun into yet another one of their routine arguments. But, it turns out that all that was needed to get the atmosphere going was a few card games, coupled with the realisation that Taeyong actually knew Ten from a couple of dance classes they’d both taken. 

Jaehyun flops down onto the large sofa in the middle of the living room, the bell attached to the collar around his neck chiming as he does so. His reflection in the mirror on the wall opposite catches his attention and he pauses to admire how he looks because, honestly, he looks pretty hot. 

He’d dragged Taeyong out shopping a couple days ago, had found the perfect thing for his costume languishing at the bottom of a bargain bin in the ladies’ department of some run down department store. 

The black of the bodysuit suits his complexion perfectly, the silk and detail of the lace highlighting the creamy paleness of his skin. Coupled with a pair of hot pants he’d borrowed from one of Taeil’s theatre friends, he felt like he could put any lingerie model to shame. He’d also managed to dig out his collar from two years ago, the pale pink leather perfectly matching the detailing of the cat ears clipped into the curls of his hair. 

He’d originally not bothered with any makeup, couldn’t find his makeup bag anywhere in the apartment anyways, but Ten had taken one look at him and immediately produced an eyeliner and lip tint seemingly out of nowhere. Now, his eyes are lined with the subtlest of cat eyes, paired with a deep red lip tint and whiskers drawn with a precision that only the Thai man could achieve. It looks great - Jaehyun resolves to be sure to thank him later on. Somewhere in the chaos of Doyoung’s place is his clip-on tail, but he has a feeling it’s lost by now, having last seen it in Xiaojun’s hand as he’d advanced threateningly on a giggling Yangyang. Frankly, they can keep it, it’d just been getting in his way anyways. 

Movement out of the corner of his eye distracts him from his thoughts, Taeyong brushing past him as he slips into the seat next to him. His friend looks slightly overwhelmed by the amount of people in the room - Jaehyun feels sorry for him, knows his friend would probably much prefer to be tucked up in his blankets playing video games right now. However, he still can’t shake the suspicious feeling he has about his friend organising this entire event, considering how antisocial he is on a regular day.

Taeyong tucks himself into Jaehyun’s side, passing over the bottle of peach soju he’s been nursing for the past hour. Jaehyun takes it, takes a swig as he watches his friend burrow his face into his shoulder. If he squints enough in the low light of the room, he can see how pink Taeyong’s cheeks are - probably from a combination of the alcohol and Ten’s incessant teasing about his costume from earlier. 

(“Why did you buy that?” Doyoung had asked when they’d returned from shopping, when Taeyong had produced his bag from the costume store and laid out the tiny white dress on the table. “I got you some scrubs from the hospital specially for your costume.”

“Doyoung, it’s Halloween and we’re going as a doctor and nurse, I’m not wearing fucking scrubs.”)

Now Taeyong looks vaguely like he regrets his choices, pulling Doyoung’s abandoned lab coat over his legs as if that’ll fix it. Jaehyun gently nudges him, passes the soju back as a distraction. 

“Doyoung’s apartment is really nice,” He comments casually as he glances around the space of the room they’re in.

“It is.” Taeyong replies. “He’s from a family that’s pretty big in medicine. You should see his room, we could probably fit both of ours in there.”

“Does he live here alone? Seems like a lot for one person.”

“Hmm, no,” Taeyong hums in reply, an unplaceable glint in his eye as he looks up at Jaehyun. “He has a roommate, he’s out though at the moment.” 

“Oh that sucks, imagine missing a party at your own place.” 

Taeyong smirks, apparently finding something about his words funny. “Imagine that.” 

Jaehyun frowns at his reply, but ultimately lets it go, chalking it up to Taeyong’s habit of talking nonsense when he’s drunk. He lets his eyes wander around once more, gaze immediately drawn to where the living room meets the kitchen. 

Doyoung stands there, leant against the wall as his thumbs fly across his phone screen at a furious pace. There’s a frown set into his features that has Jaehyun feeling sorry for whoever’s on the receiving end of his wrath - knows enough about it from Taeyong to know that he wouldn’t want to be in that position. Curious, he’s about to grill his friend on what could be going on when Sicheng wanders over, announcing that Ten is in the middle of organising taxis to the club. Taeyong immediately bounds up from his seat, grabbing onto Doyoung and steering his boyfriend down the hallway and out of sight. 

_Weird_ , Jaehyun thinks.

He’s in the middle of helping Lucas reattach drooping feathers to his back when Taeyong reappears, a familiar item clutched in his hand.

“Jaehyun, you need to wear this out.” 

Jaehyun frowns, looking between Taeyong and the jacket - _Johnny’s_ jacket - he’s holding in confusion. Lucas wriggles his shoulders, testing the stability of his wings, before clapping Jaehyun on the shoulder and disappearing with a _thanks, man!_ Jaehyun turns his attention back to his impatient best friend. 

“I- First of all, why did you bring that with you? Second of all, you know I can’t wear it.”

“Why not?” Taeyong asks, artfully dodging his first question. Jaehyun looks at him like he’s lost his mind.

“Uh, because it’s _not mine_? And it’s expensive? Taeyong, what the fuck-”

“Jaehyun.” Taeyong cuts him off, somehow managing to be threatening even in his tiny white dress and heels. He presses the jacket firmly into Jaehyun’s hands. “Wear the fucking jacket.”

“I-” Jaehyun tries to protest, but suddenly there’s an outburst of noise as everyone scrambles to leave, taxis apparently having arrived. Taeyong pulls away from him quickly, holding his hands up so Jaehyun can’t shove the jacket back into his arms, before he disappears after Ten. 

Doyoung finally emerges from the room he’d disappeared into, dropping a bundle of clothing on the sofa and carefully placing a post-it note on top of the pile. Jaehyun watches, particularly interested when he sees a flash of red among all the black and white. Doyoung straightens up with a tired sigh, before turning to meet Jaehyun’s gaze with a smile.

“You ready?” He asks.

“Yeah,” Jaehyun replies. He holds up Johnny’s jacket for the older man to see. “Um, this is gonna sound weird, but-”

“Don’t worry, Taeyong’s told me all about it.” Doyoung bends to pick up the briefcase he’d insisted was an important part of his costume. Jaehyun can just about make out the sound of something shifting around inside if he listens carefully enough. “He’s right, you should wear it.”

Jaehyun frowns. “Are you sure?” 

To him, Doyoung seems a lot more sober, and all around a little more sensible on a day to day basis than his boyfriend is. Surely that means something, right? Should he just trust him?

“Trust me,” Doyoung says criptically, steering them both towards the front door before he gets a chance to argue. “You’ll see.” 

Worry still nags at him, weighing him down, but Jaehyun decides that Doyoung clearly seems to know something he doesn’t, and maybe he should just go along with it. Giving in, he shrugs on the jacket over his costume, soothed a little by the familiar smell, and goes to join his friends outside.

///

The club is much the same as it was last time, except tonight it’s more akin to comic con than anything else.

Jaehyun sips at his vodka soda absentmindedly, listening to Ten try and shout directions to the group over the loud edm mix playing as he watches a guy he recognises from his ethics class wander past, dressed as Harley Quinn. He feels ridiculously hot, and not in a good way, the thick leather of Johnny’s jacket sticking to him like a second skin. He’s desperate to take it off, but it seems like Taeyong has suddenly developed the ability to read minds, shoots him a glare every time he even thinks about just shrugging one shoulder free. 

It had been alright when they were outside, walking to the club from where the taxis had dropped them off. Jaehyun had happily snuggled down into the fur trim of the collar at that point, thankful for its warmth, but inside it felt more suffocating than anything else. 

And besides all that, he’s growing more and more annoyed that he’s unable to show off his costume, especially when he thinks he sees a tall figure dressed as a vampire checking him out from the main entryway to the club. Said figure disappears soon after, probably put off - after all, who covers up their costume on Halloween, especially when they’re dressed as a sexy cat? Jaehyun pouts visibly for a while, distracted only when Doyoung reappears, having disappeared for what felt like the millionth time that night, and when Ten pulls him to the dance floor.

At some point he finds himself sandwiched between Taeyong and Doyoung, his roommate’s back pressed against his front while Doyoung holds them both from the back, one hand warm as it holds onto Jaehyun’s waist. It’s a little ridiculous, the three of them laughing and almost tipping over each time Doyoung’s briefcase whacks into one of them. Jaehyun snorts, reaching out to steady Taeyong as he wobbles in his heels. He feels a lot happier than he has done for the past couple weeks or so - his friends clearly being right in thinking that this was what he needed. 

The song ends and transitions into something a lot less energetic, Taeyong straightening up from where he’d been grinding back against Jaehyun’s crotch. His face is even more flushed than before, the tiny nurse’s hat clipped into his hair comically askew. He stumbles a little, mumbling something about the bar and drinks before he disappears into the crowd. 

Behind Jaehyun, Doyoung sighs, the sound exasperated, but also a little fond. He squeezes gently at Jaehyun’s hip as he moves away, Jaehyun breathing a small sigh of relief as he automatically feels even the tiniest bit cooler. The older man pulls his phone out of his lab coat pocket, adjusting his glasses so he can read the screen.

“Will you be alright on your own for a moment?” He asks Jaehyun, head close so he can be heard over the music. “I need to answer a call, plus I should make sure Taeyong doesn’t get up to too much trouble.”

“Sure.” Jaehyun smiles at him, nodding for emphasis. His cat ears bob along with the movement: Doyoung grins at the sight of them before he disappears into the crowd. Jaehyun watches him until the white of his coat can’t be seen anymore before he turns away, letting himself just sway along to the music.

He’s not sure how long he’s alone for, eyes scanning the crowd lazily for a sign of any of his friends. He checks his own phone for messages at one point, returning it to his pocket when he finds none. He’s not overly worried - knows Taeyong and his innate ability to find his way back to Jaehyun no matter how separated they are will reappear at some point, no doubt with more shots that they’ll regret in the morning. 

There’s suddenly a hand on his hip, warm where it presses against his skin. He startles, heart racing before he relaxes, telling himself it’s just Doyoung returning to him. The hand moves a little lower, slipping under his jacket to thumb lightly at the slither of skin left exposed from how his shorts sit on his hips. 

Jaehyun frowns to himself, his brain slowly registering that the hand currently on him is much bigger than Doyoung’s had been, the skin rough where he knows Doyoung’s to be smooth. On top of all that, Taeyong is nowhere to be seen, and there’s no way Doyoung would leave his boyfriend to fend for himself while he’s drunk. This has to be someone else. Eyebrows knitted together, he turns to look at the person pressed to his back. 

Johnny smiles down at him, expression coloured with a mixture of amusement and promise. 

“Found you.”

For a moment all Jaehyun can do is stare, open mouthed as he looks up at the taller man, who chuckles at his reaction. 

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?"

“W-What?” Jaehyun manages to stammer out, brain stuttering as it tries to catch up with this new development.

“I said,” Johnny smirks, leaning down to lightly tug at Jaehyun’s collar, long fingers playing with the bell. The action pulls the collar that little bit tighter against Jaehyun’s throat, making him inhale sharply. “Cat got your tongue?”

“I-” Jaehyun feels overwhelmed, the proximity of Johnny’s face being so close to his own overriding his thoughts. “I have your jacket.” He blurts out, cheeks burning with embarrassment as Johnny smiles down at him, teeth a little pointier than Jaehyun remembers. 

“I can see that.” He replies, trailing a hand up and down Jaehyun’s arm as he surveys the smaller man’s costume appreciatively. Jaehyun preens, automatically leaning back so the other man can see more of the black lace decorating his body. Suddenly he’s glad he spent so much effort on his outfit. 

In return, Jaehyun lets his own eyes wander down Johnny’s body, taking in the unbuttoned white shirt and tight leather pants of his costume. His hair is swept back from his forehead, eyeliner smudged lightly over his eyelids and accompanied by a carefully drawn red line trailing down from the corner of his lips. There’s something draped over his shoulders, tied at his neck, and when Jaehyun moves to look he can see that it’s a cloak, red on the inside. The other man watches him patiently, clearly waiting for him to put everything together. 

“ _Oh!_ ” Jaehyun gasps, realisation hitting him hard. Johnny is a vampire, the fangs stuck into his mouth being a dead giveaway. “Was that you earlier, at the door?”

“Yes,” Johnny replies, wrapping one arm around him to bring him close to his chest. Jaehyun is back to feeling like he’s stuck in a furnace, the heat from Johnny and his jacket almost suffocating, but he wouldn’t pull away for anything. “I was waiting for Doyoung to meet up with me, and I spotted you.” 

“Wait,” Jaehyun frowns, thoughts screeching to a halt. “You know Doyoung?”

“He’s my roommate.”

Jaehyun’s eyes widen, everything slowly slotting into place in his brain. “But you weren’t at pre-drinks?”

“I had an exhibition that ran over,” Johnny explains, free hand moving to rub teasingly at one of Jaehyun’s cat ears, careful not to disturb them. “I was gonna skip this entirely but Doyoung sent me a pretty aggressive message saying I’d regret being born if I did, so I went home, changed into all this that he left for me, and came here.” 

Jaehyun laughs a little to himself in disbelief, thinking of Doyoung’s irritated texting and constant disappearances throughout the night. The other man, and, no doubt, Taeyong, must have orchestrated this entire night out just to reunite Jaehyun with Johnny - Jaehyun feels a wave of fondness for the pair of them wash over him. He makes a mental note that he really owes them one, resolving to never complain about being sexiled from the apartment again. 

He’s distracted again by Johnny leaning in once more, their noses brushing. The other man gently rubs his thumb against Jaehyun’s cheek, careful not to smudge his whiskers. 

“I’m glad I did,” He murmurs, voice a low rumble that has Jaehyun vaguely feeling like his knees might give out. “Glad I could find you again.”

Jaehyun blushes, red spreading all the way up to the tips of his (human) ears in response. He gazes into Johnny’s eyes, occasionally letting his attention flicker down to the other man’s lips, oh so alluring in the dark red light of the club. Said lips pull up into a smirk suddenly, Johnny clearly getting the message and leaning in to kiss him.

Jaehyun kisses him back feverishly, like he’d been building up to this his entire life, or at least over the past few weeks. He grips onto Johnny’s shirt tightly, as if letting go means they’ll have to go through the entire ordeal of finding one another again. Johnny almost seems to have the same idea, the arm around Jaehyun’s waist tightening possessively as his other hand slides to the back of his neck, gently gripping at the strands of Jaehyun’s hair. The motion makes the fur collar of the jacket rub against Jaehyun’s skin, and he pulls away in response. 

“Um,” He mumbles, a little dazed, glancing between the jacket he’s wearing and its actual owner. “Do you want this back, or…?” 

Johnny chuckles, leaning down to press another brief kiss to Jaehyun’s already kiss-swollen lips. 

“Give it back to me in the morning.”

///

Jaehyun would like to think he’s much classier than this - that he’s above fucking a man he’s literally met twice in a dirty alley behind a club. And yet here he finds himself, pressed against the rough brick of the wall as Johnny kisses him incessantly.

The older man’s grip on his hip is almost bruising by now, deep red grooves left by his fingernails decorating the soft, exposed skin. Jaehyun whines, fingers so tangled in the silky strands of Johnny’s hair that he wouldn’t be surprised if they were stuck together forever. They could well be - Johnny kissing him like he means to steal the very air out of his lungs, to keep it for himself. He breathes in a thankful gasp as the other man pulls away, head tipped back as he tries to will his breathing to return to normal. 

Johnny chuckles, kisses the exposed expanse of his throat, gently flicking the bell on his collar to hear the way it chimes. The noise makes Jaehyun’s face turn even redder on instinct - something Johnny has unfortunately noticed, as he keeps on doing it purposely just to see his reaction. The other man pulls back suddenly, letting eyes wander down Jaehyun’s body, slowly, teasingly, before there’s a frown taking over his features. He tugs at the jacket.

“Take it off.” Johnny tells him. 

“H-Huh?” Jaehyun stammers out, too focused on the almost predatory look in the other man’s eyes.

“I said take it off.” 

Jaehyun blinks, automatically doing as he’s told, before his brain catches up with him a second later. “Wait- And do what with i-it?” 

Johnny shrugs, holding a hand out for the item of clothing. Jaehyun slides it off, letting out a soft noise of relief as the cold air of the night hits his desperately overheated skin. He hands the jacket to Johnny, who promptly ditches it on the floor, ignoring Jaehyun’s scandalised gasp to step closer and begin pressing kisses down the younger man’s neck.

“H-Hey!” Jaehyun tries to sound annoyed, but ends up sounding more offended than anything. He squirms as the older man sucks at the spot where his shoulder meets his neck, leaving behind yet another dark mark that blooms across his skin. 

“Hey?” Johnny repeats, amused as his hand slides down to pull one of Jaehyun's thighs around his waist. 

He leans back to take in one last look at Jaehyun’s entire costume, admiring the way the black lace holds so much promise, before he’s pushing the straps of Jaehyun’s bodysuit off of his shoulders. The fabric automatically slips down, pooling around the younger man’s waist and exposing his flushed chest to the night air. 

Jaehyun shivers as he forces himself to pull his head back, looking at the other man with a pout. “I agonise over having that thing for like two weeks and you just toss it on the floor like that?”

“Hmm?” Johnny purrs, quickly nipping at Jaehyun’s ear lobe just to hear the way the younger man gasps. “I can just have it dry cleaned, no problem.” 

“Y-You’re so-” Jaehyun tries to sound annoyed but it quickly tapers off into a whimper, Johnny’s thumb having begun tracing circles over the most sensitive part of his inner thigh. 

Johnny chuckles, moving to leave more kisses down Jaehyun’s chest. He pauses to mouth at one of his nipples, tongue laguid as it traces around the bud, the sound of the younger man’s breathy moans quickly becoming addicting. He switches to the other one, affording it the same treatment before he pulls away, barely enough for him to be able to speak. 

“What do you want?” He asks quietly. 

“Everything, anything.” Jaehyun replies, the words a little slurred with how fast he tries to get them out. He smiles dopily at the laugh that he gets from the older man. “Really, you could do anything to me right now, but I don’t have any stuff for it.”

“Well,” Johnny begins as he reaches into his pants pocket, pulling out a condom and lube packet. “I do.” 

Jaehyun stares at them for a brief moment before his eyes flicker up to Johnny’s face, the other man’s expression the picture of innocence. 

“How- Did you bring those with y-you?”

“No. Doyoung gave them to me when I got here earlier.” 

“Doyoung-” Jaehyun stops, the image of Doyoung’s stupid briefcase filling his mind. He covers his face with his hands, letting out a muffled, mortified wail. He’ll kill Taeyong next time he sees him - no doubt his roommate had something to do with this. 

Thankfully, he’s quickly distracted by Johnny moving his hands to his waist, gently directing him to turn around so he’s facing the wall. His heartbeat immediately picks up pace, steadily thrumming in his ears in anticipation. Johnny runs a hand down his spine, stopping to briefly squeeze at his hip before he begins tugging Jaehyun’s hot pants down, also undoing the snaps of his bodysuit so there’s nothing left between them.

Johnny’s hand is warm as it rests on Jaehyun’s bare ass cheek, thumb spreading them apart slightly, sending a shiver down Jaehyun’s spine. He feels beyond exposed, mostly from the way he can feel Johnny’s eyes trained on such an intimate part of him, but also from how he’s bent over like this, waiting to be taken, where anyone walking into the alley could chance upon them. It’s _thrilling_ , he thinks, gasping as he feels a thumb pass over his entrance, rubbing dryly in slow, circular motions before Johnny pulls his hand away to tear the lube packet open. 

Johnny prepares him quickly but carefully, opening him up with one, two, then three fingers, urged on by the increasingly desperate whines of the younger man bent before him. Jaehyun pushes back on his hand with erratic movements, arms shaking where they’re braced against the wall in front of him, the roughness of the bricks digging into his skin. It’s uncomfortable but he’s also slightly grateful for it, the light amount of pain serving as a reminder that this is real, that it’s not some fever dream that he’s having.

His head hangs low, fringe damp from sweat flopping into his eyes no matter how many times he tries to flick it away. He can feel his damned cat ears slipping, curses them under his breath as he moves to rip the headband out and throw it on the floor, but is stopped by Johnny grabbing his wrist.

“Leave them.” The older man commands. 

“Why?” Jaehyun complains. “They’re getting on my nerves.”

“I like them.” Johnny straightens the headband out for him, rubbing at one of the felt ears for good measure. “You make a really cute cat.”

“Oh my god,” Jaehyun starts. “You’re a furry aren’t-” He’s cut off by the way Johnny suddenly crooks his fingers inside of him, directly rubbing against his prostate, drawing a moan out of him that’s so loud it vibrates in the space of the alley. 

The low sound of Johnny’s laughter fills his ears once more, the older man bending down to press a few kisses down the line of Jaehyun’s spine as an apology. Not that he needs to, Jaehyun unable to be mad at him when he’s making him feel this good. He thrusts his fingers inside him a few more times, the movement insistent, before he pulls them free. Jaehyun lets out a soft whine at the loss, clenching around nothing for a brief moment, before he’s taken in by the sound of Johnny undoing his own pants. 

The other man’s dick is big, impressively so, as it curves up towards Johnny’s abdomen, flushed and ready. Jaehyun’s jaw drops instinctively at the sight of it, immediately seized by the want to take it into his mouth, to taste the precome that Johnny is currently smearing over the tip for himself. Maybe Johnny will let him do as much next time - at least, he prays to all gods out there that there will be a next time, isn’t sure what he’ll do if he lets the older man get away once more. He’ll move into Doyoung’s apartment if he has to.

He’s thankfully distracted by the sound of another packet ripping, focusing in time to watch the way Johnny rolls the condom onto his own dick. He makes eye contact with Jaehyun, smirking as he strokes himself a few times, revelling in the way the younger man is hypnotised by the way his hands work. He then straightens up, positioning himself so the pair of them are lined up perfectly. 

Johnny leans down, kissing at the back of Jaehyun’s neck before he pushes into him slowly, one hand gripping his hip as he’s enveloped by the heat of Jaehyun’s body. His other hand comes to rest on top of Jaehyun’s where it rests on the wall, fingers interlocked together tightly. Jaehyun’s screws his eyes shut, quickly overwhelmed by how _full_ he feels as the other man bottoms out, pelvis pressed close against him.

For a second, there’s nothing but the sound of their breathing, combined with the distant thumping of the music of the club, before Johnny starts to move. 

Johnny’s movements start off slow, almost lazy as he thrusts in and out of Jaehyun’s body with practiced ease. It’s immediately almost too much and yet, still, nowhere near enough, Jaehyun trying his best to further his own satisfaction by rolling his hips back to meet him as frustrated tears gather in his eyes. 

He immediately regrets it, the older man responding to his impatience by dragging his cock almost all the way out on each thrust, catching on Jaehyun’s rim each time in a way that leaves him wailing. It’s clear that this is the reaction Johnny wanted, the older man laughing as he adjusts his grip to make sure Jaehyun is held completely still. Each of his thrusts feels deliberate, each one calculated to make sure his cock drags against the sensitive spots inside of Jaehyun in the most teasing way until the younger man trembles enough that he feels like he could fall apart beneath him. 

After what feels like a lifetime of torture the older man finally takes pity on him, leans down to gently bite at Jaehyun’s shoulder as he speeds up, the lewd sound of his hips slapping against Jaehyun’s ass hard enough to bruise echoing throughout the alley. Jaehyun doesn’t care - brain filled with nothing but relieved ecstasy as Johnny’s fucks into him, dick rhythmically rubbing against his prostate until all he can see is a galaxy of stars mapped out just for him. 

Satisfied with the mark left on the younger man’s shoulder, Johnny moves his hand pressed against the wall to instead rest on the back of Jaehyun’s neck. He curls one finger around the soft pink leather of his collar, carefully pulling it tighter against the younger man’s skin. It’s not enough that it cuts off his air supply, which Jaehyun is immensely grateful for, already feeling like each breath he takes is never enough to quite fill his lungs, but it’s enough to remind him that it’s _there_. 

Feeling pleasure quickly building deep within him, Jaehyun arches his back as far as he can, pushing himself back to take Johnny’s thrusts impossibly deeper. The bell around his neck chimes wildly, the sound ringing in perfect tandem with each of Johnny’s movements and both of their increasingly desperate moans. It would be almost humiliating if it didn’t feel so good. He glances back at the older man, taking in the way his white shirt is plastered to his body from sweat, the top few buttons undone to expose the swell of his muscled chest. Through the fog of pleasure in his mind he makes a mental note to get Johnny shirtless at the next possible opportunity. 

He reaches down to paw at his own neglected dick, letting out a choked off sob as he wraps his fingers around it, overpowered by how good it feels. Stroking himself with a shaky hand, he tries his best to rein in his coordination enough to replicate what he knows he likes best, though it’s a struggle with the way Johnny is quickly ruining him. He nearly collapses when Johnny reaches down to help him, stroking him in tandem with the movement of his hips. 

It takes a few more jerks of Jaehyun’s hips, Johnny’s thumb roughly rubbing at the slit of his dick, before he’s coming, moving erratically as he spills over Johnny’s hand. The other man slows down immediately, hissing as Jaehyun remains clenched tightly around his own dick as he’s helped through his orgasm. When the younger man’s dick begins twitching from overstimulation he lets go, quickly thrusting into him a few more times before he finds his own release. 

They both still, Jaehyun feeling his knees might finally give out with the amount his legs are shaking. Johnny responds by wrapping a strong arm around his waist, carefully pulling him upright until the majority of his weight is leant against the older man. Jaehyun sighs in relief, letting his eyelids flutter shut as Johnny nuzzles gently at his neck, pressing soft kisses over his pulse point. He’s beyond blissed out, could probably fall asleep where he’s stood if left alone like this for long enough. 

He’s not sure how long passes before Johnny whispers a quiet warning in his ear, finally pulling his cock free of the younger man’s body. Jaehyun finds himself being turned around again, leaving them face to face once again. The makeup around Johnny’s eyes is even more smudged - lord knows what his own whiskers look like anymore - but it suits him. He reaches up to gently rub some off of his cheekbone, looking for any excuse to touch the older man again. 

“I’m glad we found each other again.” He mumbles, the words shy. 

The look in Johnny’s eyes is far too soft for a post-coital gaze, but Jaehyun finds himself feeling hopelessly endeared to it, to the other man in general, if he’s being honest. It feels like victory, his grand prize after all his efforts of trying to track him down. 

Johnny leans down, pressing the gentlest of kisses to Jaehyun’s mouth, lips barely brushing enough to make contact.

“Me too.”

///

Jaehyun awakens, once again roused by the pounding of his head. He groans to himself - one day he’ll learn that his body violently opposes even the smallest drop of tequila entering his system. Hopefully Taeyong will also learn that lesson with him - after all, he’s pretty sure the older man was the one supplying him with it.

He forces himself to sit up, room spinning as he leans back on his elbows. His phone tells him it’s a little before eight in the morning, far too early for him to be this awake, so he flops back down, rolling himself up in his sheets. Sighing in contentment, he stretches out, stopping when his fingers make contact with something that’s cool and smooth to the touch. 

Jaehyun opens his eyes to the familiar sight of Johnny’s leather jacket, spread out on the other side of his bed. 

_Shit_ , he thinks, dread rushing through his body so fast it leaves him feeling sick. 

He scrambles back up, pulling the damned thing onto his lap, clutching at the leather like it’ll magically make Johnny appear right here with him. A rustling sound catches his attention, a folded piece of paper carefully slotted into one of the pockets. Jaehyun inhales sharply, excitement quickly taking over his body - he knows for a fact that those pockets were empty when he left for Doyoung’s place the night before. Hands shaking, he unfolds the paper to find a hastily scribbled phone number, and a short note. 

_Find me again._

_\- Johnny._

Jaehyun smiles, victorious.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! kudos, comments and bookmarks would be very appreciated if you liked it.
> 
> find me on twitter at [@suhnbeams](https://twitter.com/suhnbeams) where i spend all my time yelling about writing and nct (mostly johnjae). thanks again! ❤


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